Tao Natural Foods
Restaurant, Coffee/Tea/Juice, General Store
Hours
Profile
Neighborhood
- Uptown
Smoke-free?
- Yes
Reservations?
- Not Accepted
Wheelchair Accessible?
- Yes
Accepts
$$ - average
American, Deli, Eclectic (Varied)
Natural foods deli and holistic health-concious store
Now serving brunch on weekends, from 10 a.m to 2 p.m. Options include a gluten-free vegan waffle, tofu scramble and ranchero burrito with tofu. Also featuring half-price, half-size happy hours on many menu items.
Tao has been open since 1968, serving healthy food and selling natural health supplements and more. The front of this tiny natural foods store contains a deli whereat you can get smoothies, soups, sandwiches and a number of other lunch type items.
Beyond the deli, the store goes on to contain health-conscious items like vitamins, homeopathic and holistic goods, incense, chakra oils, &c. And atop a spiral staircase is a mezzanine filled with books on various health and holistic related activities.
On the southwest corner of Hennepin and 22nd.
- (Mostly) Organic
- Brunch
- Happy Hour
- Live Music
- Outdoor Seating
- Quiet
- Wireless (free)
Added by vaxjo on Jul 27 05 (updated Aug 6)
Reviews
this place makes really good food but is kind of pricey. their milkshakes are to die for! i would not say they are worth the $8 charged, but they are good. it's a cute place too, lots of teas and supplements available.
UPDATE: Tao, while still tasty and good, increased its prices in 2008 as well as reducing its portion sizes. So, you pay more, but get less food. I still like the food here---they have delicious vegan milkshakes (12 oz. for $7 ??) and a great black bean burger ($8)---but I've cut back on going here as the place is so expensive and the portion sizes are so tiny.
Tao also nickle and dimes you for everything. Add avocado to a sandwich? $2.50. Extra bread? $2.50. Before you know it, your $8 meal turns out to be $13 or more with these add-ons and you leave still feeling hungry.
Also, they got rid of their vegan waffle (why???) and their veggie burger is not vegan either (it has cheese in it). What a disappointment. At least they added the black bean burger, which makes up for the loss of the cheese-filled veggie burger. Also, their macrobiotic rice plates pack more of a kick than you might guess, especially with toasted sesame oil.
All that said, Tao has great atmosphere. It's a cozy little corner joint with the feel of an old-time diner. The wait for food can be long, but that's only because each dish is lovingly prepared and hand-made; no short-cuts here.
The food is healthy, fresh and nicely prepared. They also feature at least one or two vegan desserts. Tao also has a large selection of health food and body-care items, as well as a small book section, in case you need more than just food.
The service here is quite excellent, and I had a tempeh sandwich that was reasonably priced and quite tasty. They also have vegan cookbooks.
I was recommended (see the review by conde.kedar below) a waffle, but they told me their waffles are no longer vegan. However, they said they may have vegan waffles again in the future.
mmm... tofu sandwiches and smoothies to die for.
The food is overpriced and over simple. The service is good.
On a recommendation from dangerD I stopped by for a quick bite. Unfortunately, they were just closing, so the nice gentleman behind the counter could not make me a sandwich. But he was able to send me home with a delicious split pea lentil soup with miso (and, apparently, all of their soups will be vegan). I will be sure to stop by more often now that I know it exists.
With vintage diner seating in the entrance Tao has a retro feel to it. The restaurant has a store at the back, selling all things natural from soaps to vitamins and everything in between. The café is quite pricey with entrées starting at $10. It serves an interesting choice of health juices and smoothies, or you can just make up your own. Their veggie burger is delicious, made with whole wheat bread and garnished with alfalfa sprouts and vegan mayonnaise. The vegan pie they serve daily is also a treat. The staff are happy to modify dairy dishes to make them vegan.